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The Arrangement on Reciprocal Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters between the Courts of the Mainland and of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region – Impact on the Enforcement of Mainland’s Judgments on Maritime and Admiralty Matters in Hong Kong

On 18 January 2019, the Supreme People’s Court and the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region signed the Arrangement on Reciprocal Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters between the Courts of the Mainland and of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (“Arrangement”) in Beijing.

Being the sixth mutual arrangement in civil and commercial matters between two places, the Arrangement seeks to establish a bilateral legal mechanism with greater clarity and certainty for recognition and enforcement of judgments in wider range of civil and commercial matters. At the same time, the signing of the Arrangement also has wide and far-reaching implications on the enforcement of Mainland maritime judgments in Hong Kong.

This Article aims to discuss the implications of the Arrangement on the enforcement of Mainland maritime judgments in Hong Kong based on our firm’s experience in dealing with complex cross-border litigation and arbitration.

This article was written by Ms. Cheryl Yu, Senior Registered Foreign Lawyer in the Transportation and Commercial Litigation Department and with the assistance of Mr. Jonathan Hooi (Associate) and Mr. Muqiao Li (Paralegal) and reviewed by the group leader Mr. Lianjun Li (Senior Partner). Mr. Lianjun Li actively participated in discussions and consultations by the Department of Justice and the Logistics and Maritime Committee of the Hong Kong Law Society as an expert in this area.